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The Messenger
an edition of The United Methodist Reporter
First United Methodist Church
Round Rock
January 4, 2013
Volume 160 - No. 36
Worship Info
Sunday Services
Morning:
8:30 am - Sanctuary
Blend of Contemporary and
Traditional Worship Styles
www.fumc-rr.org
071700
Two Sections, Section A
Feed my starving children
First Church is packing meals in February
9:40 am - Family Life Center
Contemporary Worship Style
CrossRoads AM
11:00 am - Sanctuary
Traditional Worship Style
Evening:
6:00 pm-Family Life Center
CrossRoads PM - Youth Led
Worship Service
Holy Communion
The Sacrament of Holy
Communion is commonly
observed at all services on
the first Sunday of the month.
Altar Flower Dedications
You may provide flowers
in memory or in honor of a
special person or celebration.
For more information, contact
Wanell Soslow at 255-3336
or wanell@fumc-rr.org.
More Information
Worship information is subject
to change. Please check
the First Church website at
http://fumc-rr.org for the most
up-to-date information.
First Church is Hosting Site to Pack Meals for “Feed My Starving Children”
In our world today, an estimated 925 million people are chronically hungry, though there is enough food in the world for everyone to have adequate
nutrition. As followers of Christ, we cannot accept this reality. Christ commands us to respond.
In the Family Life Center of First United Methodist Church on February 15 and 16, our church will be hosting an event doing just that: responding.
Through a Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) MobilePackTM in partnership with members of New Life Community Church, we will produce 100,000 meals for
God’s children around the world. FMSC is a Christian nonprofit hunger relief organization working with volunteers to produce MannaPackTM Rice, a scientifically formulated food formula that is culturally acceptable worldwide. Organizations in nearly 70 countries around the world distribute these meals to
children in greatest need. To learn more about FMSC, visit http://fmsc.org.
We invite you to join other area Christians in producing these meals. We join members from New Life Community Church to recruit volunteers for this
MobilePack event. New Life leaders will also be raising 22¢ for each meal—$22,000 total.You and your family can volunteer to help!
In volunteering, adults and children will measure and scoop ingredients, seal bags, and prepare boxes for shipping. Registration will be online in January 2013 at http://fmsc.org/mobilepack.You will be trained on site in the Great Room (Building 5-232) and then spend two hours packing.
First Church is thrilled to be the host site for this packing event! We hope that you and your family will join other area Christians in this important service for God’s hungry children. To learn more, please contact Judy Corrigan at jmosiercorrigan@yahoo.com or Rev. Katie Meek at katie@fumc-rr.org.
If you would like to help
ABOUT FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN
them meet their $22,000 goal,
Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) is a Christian nonprofit hunger relief organization that provides food to help complease consider making a
munities in developing countries become self-sustaining. FMSC’s approach is simple: volunteers hand pack scientifically
special offering. Donations
designed meals, which are shipped to partners in nearly 70 countries and used to run orphanages, clinics, schools, missions,
may be submitted online at
and community feeding programs.
http://fmsc.org/mobilepack
or mailed to:
ABOUT FMSC MOBILEPACK™
Feed
My
Starving Children,
MobilePack™ events enable children and adults across the United States to pack FMSC’s life-giving MannaPack™ meals.
ATTN:
MobilePack
#1302-204
FMSC provides guidance and logistics. And you provide funds, time, and labor to pack the meals!
401 93rd Avenue NW
Coon Rapids, MN 55433
GET INVOLVED
Checks should be
As a MobilePack host, we have committed to providing space for the event and helping by becoming some of the volunteers needed to produce thousands of meals. At just two hours per food-packing shift, your donation of time goes a long way payable to FMSC, memo line
MobilePack #1302-204
in this effort. In addition, you can make an online donation directly to your MobilePack event at fmsc.org/mobilepack. Each
of the 100,000 meals costs only 22 cents.
AED...a life giving and life saving opportunity
Table of Contents
Submissions/Deadlines...5
What is an AED? An AED or Automated External Defibrillator is a
portable device designed for use by the non-medical public to evaluate
the heart rhythm of a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) victim; and if needed,
it will send an electric shock to the heart in an attempt to restore a normal
rhythm. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a condition in which the heart
suddenly develops an erratic rhythm and stops beating effectively; which prevents blood flow to the brain and other vital organs.
An electrical shock delivered by a defibrillator is essentially the
only means of restoring a normal rhythm and function to the heart
of an SCA victim. But that shock has to be delivered quickly to be effective. Every minute that passes reduces the chance of survival by 10%...
after 10 minutes; there is little chance of surviving.
Money Matters........................8
Why does First Church need AEDs?
Pastor’s Column......................4
Abbreviations..........................4
Adult Ministries........................4
Children’s Ministries............5
Youth Ministries.......................5
Worship Arts.............................5
Joys and Concerns..............8
Congregational Care...........8
Mission and Outreach......8
Calendar.......................................8
AED programs, like we are planning for First Church, the survival rate has
increased to over 40%. The reason is placement of AEDs in gathering places
such as churches; a rapid response of trained individuals who call 911, initiate Hands-only CPR and utilize an AED as quickly as possible. The
international initiative to develop AED programs in communities
like ours has proven to be effective in saving lives, and that is why
we think First Church deserves an AED program.
But saving a life at First Church is not our only goal. We hope
to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Arrest, how to recognize it and
what to do if you witness one. Perhaps the greatest goal is to provide
affordable training in the use of Hands-only CPR and AEDs for everyone
who desires to learn, in small groups at our church.
continued on page 8
Hopefully we will never need to use an AED at First Church. But SCAs
are totally unpredictable, occurring without warning, often to individuals
with no known heart disease. It is the leading cause of death in America more deaths than breast cancer, lung cancer, strokes and AIDS combined.
An estimated 295,000 Americans suffer an SCA each year. The survival rate
is less than 10% and some of those survivors are left with severe neurological deficits. However, in communities that have embraced comprehensive
The United Methodist Reporter (USPS 954-500) is published weekly by UMR Communications, 1221 Profit, Dallas, TX 75247-3919. Periodicals Postage Paid at Dallas, Texas and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The
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The Messenger
4
www.fumc-rr.org
Congregational Care
Adult Ministries and Events
It is a practice in which we
engage year after year. Maybe it’s
losing weight. Maybe it’s quitting smoking or becoming more
organized. Perhaps it’s to spend
less time at the office and more
time with our family. We make them
with the best of intentions. And we
almost always fail.
The New Year’s resolution
is a time-honored tradition. The
new year, after all, is a time of new
beginnings, and what better way to
begin anew than by taking stock of
our lives and resolving to improve
on ourselves? And millions of
adults – experts say as many as 70
percent in the United States – began the new year with at least one
resolution. Those same experts say,
however, that 80 to 85 percent will
abandon those resolutions by the
end of January.
In some ways it’s a sad
commentary on our resolve as
Americans, isn’t it? There are
myriad reasons for our tendency
to fail at our annual endeavor to
improve. First and foremost, change
is difficult for most of us. We’re used
to eating what we like, watching TV
instead of going to the gym, and so
on. And we don’t do those things
in an attempt at self-destruction.
We do them because they are
enjoyable and comfortable. We are
largely creatures of habit, and when
you combine that with habits that
bring us pleasure, well the cost of
change can be high.
Experts also say we fail most
often because we set goals that are
too long term. By nature we are beings who are wired for immediate
gratification, short-term successes.
So eating healthy for a week or
losing five pounds is immeasurably
easier for us than saying we are going to change our lifestyle forever
or lose 50 pounds.
But I wonder if there is not
more to it than that.
I say that because as people
of faith, we are all about new beginnings. As the angelic pronouncements of a Savior’s birth echoed
off of our gathering on Christmas
Eve, we celebrated once again the
arrival of the Christ child. It was
an arrival that heralded a change
the likes of which the world had
never seen. No longer was God this
mysterious presence who could
not be touched. Now God was flesh
and blood, just like us. God was
touchable, knowable. And because
of that, human beings were free
to experience God in a real and
tangible way, in the person of Jesus
Christ.
And with that experience
came the conviction of change.
We see it throughout the Gospel
stories of Jesus’ birth and ministry.
We see it throughout the book of
Acts. We even see it between the
lines of Paul’s letters. When people
experienced Jesus – whether in the
flesh or spiritually years after his
death – their lives were changed.
They were freed to live their lives in
a way that was contrary to their nature, because they were first willing
to give their lives to Christ.
They weren’t just different. They were better, a walking
glimpse of the human being that
God envisioned in those first days
of creation. They were people
who sought to give, rather than to
receive. Who longed to build God’s
kingdom, rather than build up their
own lives. People willing to lose
their lives because they were convinced that that’s how they would
ultimately find themselves in Christ.
Sometimes I think that is our
problem with resolutions. They are
all about us, not about Christ. We
think we should lose weight because we will feel better and look
better and have better self-esteem.
We think we should be more
organized because it would make
us more productive and lower our
stress level. We think we should
work less because it will make for
less strife at home.
When maybe what we should
be thinking about is Christ. Maybe
our eating habits are a concern
because it is sinful to abuse the
very temple that God created in
our bodies. Maybe organization is a
problem because we are losing opportunities to witness and minister
to others. Maybe we should work
less because we are fervently building a house on sand, rather than
building a kingdom on the solid
rock of Christ.
So here’s my challenge for you.
This year, make a single resolution.
This year I will put Christ first. In my
family, in my job, in my own life, I
will put Christ first. It sounds a little
naïve, I know. But I am convinced
that if we really put Christ first, then
the transformation that only Christ
can bring will begin to touch every
aspect of our lives.
If you’re like me, then you’ve
tried it the old way for years. Just
this once, why not give
Jesus a chance?
The Path
Novellas...Exploring the Bible’s Shortest Books
New Adult Sunday School Class
4 week Bible study begins January 16
by Shannon Richardson
They are the often overlooked books within our canon of
Scripture.You can read them in 10
minutes or less. Some of them are
only a few verses
in length. They are
the shortest books
in the Bible, but
big things often
come in small
packages. When
God is the author,
that’s especially
true.
Beginning Jan. 16, Rev. Lee
Trigg will lead a four-week exploration of some of these divine novellas. Each week students will delve
Whether you are new to First
Church or a long time member
who has not connected with
a Sunday School class, you are
welcome to join us. This is not
your usual Sunday School class!
The Path is an opportunity for
occasional Sunday School discussions (perhaps meeting every
other week), but it is more a way
to create flow and balance for
people who are searching for ways
to improve their spiritual journeys
along with their acts of service.
There may be meetings on days
other than Sundays. There will be
opportunities to serve, both inside
and outside the church.
This class is in the planning
stages, so if you have any ideas
or a desire to be included, please
contact Shannon Richardson at
srichardson0825@yahoo.com.
Women’s Bible
Studies
Join us on
Tuesday mornings,
Wednesday mornings or Wednesday evenings for Beth Moore Bible
Studies. The Tuesday morning
group will begin Breaking Free,
an 11 week study about freedom in
Christ. This updated study will take
you through Scripture to discover
the transforming power of Christian freedom. The Tuesday study
begins on January 15 at 9:30 am.
Contact: Dana Prewitt at 633-4748
or danaprewitt@gmail.com).
The Wednesday morning and
evening groups will begin The Law
of Love – Lessons From the Pages
of Deuteronomy, a study of the
words of Moses as his people were
looking for their promised land,
much as we look for our promised
land. The Wednesday groups begin
on January 9 at 9:30 am or 6:30 pm.
Contact: Janet Reynolds at 255-7198
or jreygma@gmail.com.
Child care is available for all
of these studies.
What and How Do
Methodists Believe?
This 4-week class helps clarify
Wesleyan theology and explains
how United Methodists arrive at
their faith positions. Find out what
we mean when we
say we’re Methodist. The class
begins on January
20 at 11 am. Register online or
at the church office. Questions?
Contact Judd Parker at 255-9862 or
juddparker@austin.rr.com.
into an entire book of
Scripture, finding God’s
big message contained in these
quick reads.
Novellas
will be offered
at 10:30 am
Wednesday
morning and at
7 pm Wednesday
evenings through
February 6. The
course also will
be offered online.
Registration is available online
at http://fumc-rr.org. For more
information, contact Lee Trigg at
lee@fumc-rr.org or at 255-3336.
HealthSpeak...free health education programs
January topic: Heartburn and gastrointestinal disorders
First United Methodist Church
is excited to partner with Scott &
White Healthcare-Round Rock to
bring a series of free healthcare
education lectures to the residents
of the Round Rock region. The
HealthSpeak Education Series will
be offered at 11 a.m. on the second
Thursday of each month.
The HealthSpeak lectures
will cover an array of health
topics including
heart health, sleep
disorders, shingles,
stroke, cancer and diabetes. Each
monthly presentation will be led by
a physician and include a questionand-answer period for participants
to delve deeper into the topic.
Kicking off the HealthSpeak
series January 10 at 11 am is
F. Paul Buckley III, MD, FACS, a
surgeon at Scott & White Hospital
in Round Rock. Dr. Buckley will
discuss signs and symptoms of
heartburn, common treatments
and surgical advances in providing
relief for conditions like gastrointestinal reflux disorder
(GERD).
The February lecture,
which will be on February 14, will explore
issues, treatments and
advances in heart health.
The monthly programs will be
held in the Community Room, Bldg.
5-127 from 11 am to 12 noon.
Questions? Contact Lee Trigg
at 255-3336 or lee@fumc-rr.org.
Have you tweeted lately?
New sermon series... “@God”
Have you tweeted lately? If
you have, then you are one of the
more than 500 million registered
users of Twitter who generate more
than 340 million tweets each day
– little updates, commentaries and
rants – all in 140 characters or less.
But what can you really say in
140 characters?
Turns out God
can say a lot.
And beginning on
Sunday, January 13, we will explore
some of those in worship.
@God is a new sermon series
that will look at some of those God
tweets, those verses of Scripture
that pack a big message in 140
characters or less.
This sermon series
will cover all three
weekly services. We hope
you will join us. Better
yet, hop on Twitter and
invite a friend.
And don’t forget
to follow First Church on
Twitter, @FirstChurchRR
Common Abbreviations
Whether you are new to the First United Methodist Church (First Church)
family or have been around for years, you may wonder about some of
our abbreviations. Here are some of our most common abbreviations.
CC............................................................................. Church Council (Administrative Board)
COB............................................................................................................................... Council Oak Bells
FLC....................................................................................................Family Life Center (Building 3)
FUMC............................................................................................ First United Methodist Church
TBD................................................................................................................................To Be Determined
UMM................................................................................................................United Methodist Men
UMW......................................................................................................United Methodist Women
WOF...............................................................Walk of Faith (Elementary Sunday School)
5 The Messenger
www.fumc-rr.org
Children’s Ministries
Worship and Worship Arts
Walk of Faith...the Healing Miracles of Jesus Rotation
Resolve to ring in 2013
It was a wonderful holiday season. Happy New Year!
Sign up today for Handbell Rookie Training Camp
Walk of Faith
In January, the students in
Walk of Faith will be learning about
the Healing Miracles of Jesus. The
workshops of Walk of Faith may
focus on one miracle or delve into
several of them, including Jesus’
healing of Jairus’
daughter, the raising
of Lazarus, and the
lame man who was
lowered through the
roof by his friends
to Jesus. The Healing Miracles will be
taught in Walk of
Faith on January 6,
13, 20 and 27. Be sure
and join us for the amazing stories
of the miracles and some awesome
activities as we make the stories of
Jesus the children’s stories, as well!
Thanks to our volunteers!
Thanks to all of our incredible
Walk of Faith teachers and shepherds who led the children through
The Christmas Miracles rotation!
Walk of Faith in December was a
time of learning about the birth of
Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew
and how the dreams of Joseph and
the Magi were such an important
part of the Christmas story.
We would love to talk with
anyone who may feel led to volunteer in our preschool area or Walk
of Faith for our elementary students. Please contact Gloria Perez
at gperez@fumc-rr.
org for preschool
or Melissa Trigg at
mtrigg@fumc-rr.org
to volunteer in Walk
of Faith. Join us as
we share the stories
of our faith and the
love of Christ with
the children of First
Church!
J-Team - January 13
J-Team will meet at the church
for a fun afternoon on Sunday,
January 13. We will play games,
have a snack, and a devotional.
J-Team is our monthly fellowship
group for third, fourth and fifth
graders and is open to all! Everyone is encouraged to join us and
to bring friends. All that is required
is a current J-Team registration. We
need everyone to RSVP so we can
plan for games and snacks. To RSVP
or be added to the J-Team email
distribution list, please contact
Melissa Trigg, elementary coordinator, at mtrigg@fumc-rr.org. Hope to
see all third, fourth and fifth graders
on the 13th!
We had an awesome J-Team
Christmas party in December with
fun Minute to Win It games and a
Christmas movie. Thanks to the kids
and parents who joined us for a
great time!
Closer to Christmas
Children’s Ministries hosted
their first Closer to Christmas
event. Fellowship and fun
were enjoyed
by everyone!
Thanks to all
the families that
joined us. This
this will be an annual event to look
for each year.
Family New Year’s Eve Party
Another new family event this
holiday season was our Family
New Year’s Eve Party. It was fun to
welcome in the New Year with First
Church family and friends!
Did you like what you saw and
heard at Ring Noel 2012? Have you
always been curious about ringing?
The next Handbell Rookie
Training Camp session is scheduled
for January/February of 2013! Read
more to see if you are a future
rookie!
The First Church Handbell
Ministry is an open ministry.
Adults....high school students.....ask
yourselves.....are you a handbell
ringer wanna be? Have you always
wanted to learn to read music? Do
you read music, but you’ve never
rung bells? Have you rung before
but feel you need to dust off your
skills? What do you have to lose?
Absolutely nothing! There’s no
performance required! And you
have lots to gain! Handbell teams
are fun and provide a safe and
comfortable environment for close
relationships and witness through
the art of handbell ringing.
Handbell Rookie Training
Camps are 4 - 6 week short-term
weekly commitments which allow
the participant the opportunity to
learn more about handbells with
absolutely no strings attached.
Participants learn the basics with
classes designed to teach music
reading and ringing from the very
beginning. When the class is over,
those involved will be given a
chance to join our ministry if so
inclined. Childcare is available if
reserved.
Our next rookie opportunity is
now scheduled! The 2013 Handbell
Rookie Training Camp will take
place in the North Suite (handbell
room) of the Sanctuary building
from 5:30 - 6:30 pm on the following dates: Mondays, January 7, 14,
28 and February 4.
Contact Carla David today if
interested! We encourage you to
plan to make handbell ministry
part of your growing ministry life at
First Church Round Rock. We need
you . . . and your participation will
make a difference in our ministry.
Carla David is Director of
Handbell Ministry at First Church. If
interested, contact her at 255.3336,
Ext. 122 or carla@fumc-rr.org .
Student Ministries
Salt and Light...D-Now is coming soon!
Start the New Year right with First Church Student Ministries...worship, study, mission and fun.
D-Now, short for Disciple
Now, is one incredible weekend of
mission, small group study, games,
worship rallies and more! We are
hosting D-Now on February 1-3. The
cost is only $50 through January 13.
Sign up now!
This is a City Wide D-Now!
Several churches are coming
together to offer incredible worship
rallies led by Justin Cofield Band,
and we will have Chad Norris bring
us messages on Friday and Saturday night. We are going to look at
the ways we, as Christians, are the
Salt and the Light for the world.
We are expecting more than
500 youth to participate. The energy
will be contagious!
The weekend begins on Thursday night with a meeting for host
home assignments and a schedule
for the weekend. Then, on Friday
you will meet at your host home
and get to know your college
leaders for the weekend.You will
come to the rally as a group and
we will kick off the night with some
fun time together with all of the
churches participating.
Saturday will include a mission project, small group Bible
studies led by college students,
games, and another rally that night.
We will close out the weekend after
the 9:40 am worship service on
Sunday.
Yes, you can bring a friend!
We encourage you to bring
several friends. Get signed up
today!
You can find more information and get registration forms
online on the youth website or
contact the Student Ministry office.
Middle School Ministry
•
•
•
WNL: Each Wednesday from
6-8 pm. Snack supper is $2.
Created by God (for 5th & 6th
graders and their parents):
January 11-12. $50 registration
by January 4.
Neon Bible Study: Sundays
from 7-8 pm in the Great
Room.
For more Middle School info...
Please contact Mark Rich,
Middle School Coordinator, at
mark@fumc-rr.org or 255-3336.
High School Ministry
•
•
SNL: Each Sunday from 6-8 pm
in the FLC. Snack supper is $2.
Bible Study: Each Wednesday from 7-8 pm in the Great
Room. Free brownies and
nachos!
For more High School info...
Please contact Dan Hunter,
High School Coordinator, at
dan@fumc-rr.org or 255-3336.
Choir Rehearsals are back in swing!
Looking forward to Lent and Easter
2013 is being ushered in, and
you are being issued a special
invitation to come join one of the
choirs and/or the orchestra. From
children’s choirs to youth ensemble
to adult choirs and the orchestra,
there is place waiting for you!
Easter comes early this year, so
new music for Lent and Easter will
be handed out at the first rehearsal
on Jan. 2. It’s the perfect time to
jump in.
You can check our website for
exact rehearsal times, or you can
email or call Dr. Linda Bolding at
255-3336, linda@fumc-rr.org.
First Church Choir Heads for Ireland in June
Singing at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin
Our First Church Choir is
going to Ireland! Choir
members are very
excited about beginning
rehearsal on music that
they will be singing in
Ireland in June.
One of their venues
will be the famous
St. Patrick’s Cathedral in
Dublin. They are brushing up on
their Irish accent and
will be wearing lots of
green.
It will be a wonderful and exciting
time for our choir and
we are proud to have
them representing First
Church.
Submissions & Deadline Information
The Messenger is mailed to all households on the church mailing list
approximately once per month. Copies are also available in the office
and worship spaces. Contact the church office if you want to have your
name added to the mailing list.
The deadline for the February 1 issue is January 21. E-mail articles
to newsletter@fumc-rr.org or provide a hard copy to Betty
Robertson in the church office. Submissions may be edited for
content or space, but should be provided in a ready-to-publish format.
See http://www.fumc-rr.org/newsletters.php for details about format
and digital graphic/photo requirements. Contact Betty Robertson with
questions or for assistance preparing your item for the newsletter.
The Messenger
8
www.fumc-rr.org
Congregational Care
To whom are you most indebted?
AEDs are coming to First Church
Is God at the top of your list?
Continued from page 1
by Frank Rogers,
Finance Committee
Most of us have a home mortgage, automobile loan, credit cards,
and other miscellaneous creditors
to whom we are obligated. If you
do not, then you are a fortunate
person or have done great planning. Other than take your payment
and charge you interest on your
loans, what do you really get from
these creditors?
At this time of the year, I seem
to spend more time thinking about
what I can do for others and what
others have done for me. I think
that most of us do this during the
Christmas Season. What a great
time to be contemplative.
My thoughts were more on to
whom I owe and for what I owe to
God. When put in this vernacular, it
brings tears to my eyes. God does
so much for each of us. He is the
one that comforts when your first
child only lives one day. He is the
one that changes one’s heart when
having marital problems. He is the
one that cries with you when your
child is diagnosed with a dreadful
disease. He is the one that comforts
your children and you when they
go through terrible divorces. He is
the one that wipes the tears when
your parents die and you realize
that now you are the survivor. He is
the one that settles your emotions
when your spouse is diagnosed
with cancer and she handles it
better than you. He is the one that
you celebrate when your spouse
is cured. He is the one that says
“thank you” when you contribute
to your church with your time and
your money. He is the one that will
put his hand on your shoulder at
the end of life and say “Well done!”
Let me ask you, how many
of your other creditors stand with,
beside, and in front of you when
you have times of need? Very few, if
any, do this other than God. As this
article is for the month of January,
I hope that you and your families
had a great and Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year. I also hope
that you not only gave thanks to
God in prayer but also in monetary
and in service terms. First Church
does appreciate what each of you
do.
In everything give thanks: for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
This training will be a gift that
you will carry with you everywhere
you go, and prepare you to be that
person who steps up with confidence to save a life that otherwise
would have less than 10% chance
of surviving. Imagine what a gift
that would be.
Like most worthy endeavors
this needs funding. With the input
of the Williamson Co. EMS we have
determined First Church needs
four strategically placed AED units
to provide quick response when
every second counts. We will also
need additional equipment and
supplies to maintain optimal AED
function when needed. We need
to provide training for enough
responders to assure at least one
responder on site whenever the
church is being used. Our early
estimates suggest at least $2500 per
unit, or a minimum of $10,000 will
be required. Our amazing United
Methodist Men have taken a lead
role in making this program a real-
ity at First Church.
Through their efforts and individual contributions they have already
raised $7,500.
We need your help to raise the
additional funds to bring this lifesaving program to our church, and
make it exemplary.
Even if we are fortunate
enough to never require the use of
an AED on our campus, the peace
of mind their visible presence
brings is priceless. The accessibility
of training we have proposed can
send countless individuals into the
world, ready and capable of saving
precious lives. How does one place
any sort of value on a gift such as
that?
If you feel led to invest in
this project please contact Terry
McCord at finance@fumc-rr.org.
If you have any questions or
interest in hearing more about
the AED Program at First Church
please contact Art Caylor at
acaylor@austin.rr.com.
January
7
Children’s Chimes and
Bells resume, 4:15 pm
7
Handbell Rookie
Training Camp begins,
5:30 pm, North Suite
8
Women’s Book Club,
11:30 am, Bldg. 5-136
8
LEAD First, 7 pm, Bldg.
5-146
8
Nurture Leadership
Team, 7 pm,
Bldg. 5-118
10
Health Education Class,
11 am, Bldg. 5-127
13
All Youth Parent
Meeting, 11 am,
Bldg. 5-127
13
UMW Sunday Circle,
12:30 pm, Bldg. 5-124
Stephen Ministry begins new training session
13
J-Team, 2 pm
Please pray for our new trainees as they begin this journey
13 Youth Advisory
Committee, 4:30 pm
14
Witness Leadership
Team, 7 pm,
Bldg. 5-122
15
UMW Deborah Circle,
9:30 am, Bldg. 5-127
16
Novellas Bible Study
begins, 10:30 am &
6 pm
17
Outreach Leadership
Team, 6 pm,
Bldg. 5-148
17
Round Rock Emmaus
Gathering, 7 pm,
Bldg. 5-231
We are so excited to begin
a new Stephen Ministry session
on January 8 which will end near
Easter. Our new trainees are Mark
Rich, Trisha Munsch, Shevawn
Walzel, Rachel Albin, Mauricio
Childress-Usher, and two participants from Bertram UMC, Mary
Gurno and Madeline Lewis. Please
pray for these trainees (SMITS) as
they follow God’s calling to help
those who are hurting.
For more information, contact
Rev. Marion Childress-Usher at 2724086 or Rae Frenette at 255-3336,
rae@fumc-rr.org.
Mission and Outreach
Thanks for supporting Bead for Life!
Improving the lives of Ugandan women and children
Joys and Concerns
Please Pray for Our Missionaries
First Church supports the following missionary and invites you to
pray for her and her ministry: Beth Wier in the Philippines.
We Invite You to Share Your Joys and Concerns
Prayer is essential to the ministry of any church. At First Church we
solicit your needs and concerns that we might be able to lift them in
prayer and call God’s Spirit to be active in those lives and needs.
We have several avenues for receiving prayer requests. During
worship, you may find a prayer request form in the registration books.
Fill in the information, fold it, and place it in the book or the offering
plates, and they will come to the pastoral staff on Monday.You may
call the church office at 255-3336 during office hours, or e-mail Rev.
Katie Meek, katie@fumc-rr.org, with your concerns.You may also submit a prayer request to Shannon Sloat, email prayer chain coordinator,
at prayerchain@fumc-rr.org.
The Sunday Worship Bulletin provides a list of prayer concerns,
including those for our First Church extended family.
For emergency pastoral care needs outside of church office hours,
please call 255-3336 and follow the instructions on the answering machine to send an immediate page to a pastor.
First Church is a Stephen Ministry congregation. Learn more at
www.fumc-rr.org
Our Stephen Ministers are trained caregivers, ready
to listen, care for, encourage you, pray with and for you,
and help you through a difficult time. To find out more,
contact Rae Frenette in the church office at 255-3336 or
rae@fumc-rr.org.
First Church Calendar
Money Matters
UMW Sunday Circle thanks
you for your purchases at the Bead
for Life Shopping Event in December. The total of the Ugandan jewelry sold on December 9 at church
was $1,945.
It was the UMW Sunday Circle’s privilege to display the beautiful jewelry made by the Ugandan
women.Your purchases will help to
improve the lives of those women
and their children.
One Child at a Time. One Heart at a Time.
Chris McLain reflects on her missionary journey
by Chris McLain
It is the week before Christmas as I write this. The songs are
declaring the love of God and the
joy in our hearts as we anticipate
the celebration of our Savior’s birth.
We long to more fully experience
Christ, not only at this special
time, but throughout the year. I am
flooded with gratitude as I reflect
on all that the Lord has blessed
me with financially, physically and
spiritually.
I am sincerely grateful to be
a member of First Church and all
that it affords me and countless
others. We are a church family that
with a wealth of opportunities to
learn and grow as we journey with
Christ and one another.
One of the offerings of First
Church that has brought me much
joy and gratitude is UMW (United
Methodist Women), an organization that offers the opportunity to
be in fellowship, study and serve
with other Christian women. One of
our primary focuses is on women
and children throughout the world
who are oppressed, abandoned, or
struggling to exist and take care of
children. It was at a UMW District
Meeting that I heard a retired missionary speak about her work in
Nepal. As I listened and pondered,
I felt the spark ignite and I began
to respond to the thoughts of that’s
what I want to do.”
And she did. Chris shares more
about her four years in Swaziland
and her One Child at a Time, One
Heart at a Time organization online
at http://onechildoneheart.org.
18-20 Confirmation Retreat
21
Invitation to the Old
Testament begins,
6:30 pm, Bldg. 5-123
22
AIM Committee, 7 pm,
Bldg. 5-124
31
D-NOW Kickoff,
7 pm, FLC
February
1 - 3
D-NOW
Events listed above are open
to anyone in the congregation.
Regularly occurring weekly
and monthly small groups
such as UMM, Crafters, and
UMW Circles, etc. can be
found on the website.
All event information is subject
to change. Check the website
(www.fumc-rr.org) for the most
up-to-date information.
A key to abbreviations may
be found on page 4.